The One Where The Truth Comes Out

A/N: Hope everyone is staying healthy and safe during this pandemic!


As per usual, their day off was more like half a day off since no one was awake before late afternoon. The group was still on edge from the boys approach to the matchup the previous night, with several fights and arguments breaking out as they eventually appeared in search of food.

After one particularly rude exchange between Calamity and Unicycle, Beca needed to escape the suffocating tension. She exited out the back door and began walking away across the yard towards the beach. Knowing that alone time wasn't a thing in the house, she slowed her pace waiting to see who would follow her, praying it wasn't Chloe.

"Bec! Wait up!"

Beca smiled to herself, mumbling under her breath, "So fucking predictable."

It was Luke, making her realize immediately that she might actually prefer Chloe's presence to his.

"I think you owe me a chat," Luke reminded her with a wink, slowing his long strides to match hers.

"No idea what you're talking about," Beca smirked back, catching a movement from the camera crew that followed them outside out of the corner of her eye.

Luke shook his head, "None of that now, Becs… don't you think it'll be easier once you get it off your chest?"

Beca retorted, "No… I think it'll be a million times worse, actually."

"Fine, whatever," Luke shrugged, adding, "But I wouldn't judge you. I care about you."

"Then you should understand exactly why I'm being like this," Beca sighed, kicking out a little at the grass as she walked. "There's no scenario in which this ends well."

Luke hummed, "I disagree. I can picture several scenarios where it ends perfectly fine."

Beca shook her head, "That's not what we're here for. We all agreed, Luke… you signed the same fucking contract I did."

"Well yeah, I mean… I'm not saying fuck up the matches for everyone else," Luke commented as they reached the edge of the lawn overlooking the beach. "All I'm saying is there was nothing in that contract that said you had to marry your perfect match… or hell, even date them after this is all over. Look at Tom and Stacie… they aren't a match but sure seems like they're intent on being together."

"That's different."

Luke raised his eyebrows at her. "Is it?"

"You know it is!" Beca's voice rose in frustration. "Look… no one… I haven't… I'm not…" she trailed off, not sure how to properly phrase that secret.

Thankfully, Luke seemed to understand. "Ohhh, oh okay. Well, yeah, okay that complicates things a bit."

Beca sighed again, looking out along the beach remaining silent.

Luke turned around and addressed the crew that had followed them. "Look, I understand the rules and whatever, but we need a minute. An off camera minute. Got it?"

Beca glanced at them, curious about the response. It was only an assistant producer with the crew, and all of them were looking back and forth between each other nervously.

"I need to call it in," the guy finally said, motioning to his ear piece.

"Do whatever the fuck you need to do," Luke responded, his tone turning a little harsh. "Don't worry, it's not something you'd be able to air. I promise."

The guy nodded and spoke quickly into his mic, the conversation lasting a few minutes before he turned back to them. "Okay, you got it. Give me your necklaces. We'll wait over there. You've got ten minutes."

Beca unhooked the necklace she'd been given at the beginning of the show that held her microphone in the little symbol, handing it to the producer. Luke did the same, eyeballing the man as he said, "How about we give you these mics, you guys scram, and we'll come find you when we're done after however long it takes. Sound good?"

The guy swallowed at his words, taking the necklaces from them saying, "CR will have my ass if you guys take more than thirty minutes. Got it?"

Luke glanced at Beca before shooting him a smirk. "Okay dude, you got a deal. Thirty minutes and no one gets in trouble."

He nodded and motioned for the crew to follow him a good distance away.

Beca watched them go, Luke flopping down onto the grass already facing the water again. She sat down beside him, grateful for the time without being watched and recorded.

"Thank you," she murmured, looking at the gorgeous ocean stretching out before them.

"Okay, you're on the clock," Luke joked, smiling at her. "No one else listening in… it's just us. Now or never."

Beca hesitated, still unsure if she was ready to say the words out loud… unsure how hearing them would make her feel.

Exhaling slowly, she said, "Fuck it. I mean you already know, so it shouldn't even be that big a deal, right? I… I like Chloe."

Luke smiled, resting his hand gently on her knee. "Yeah… I know. But thanks for trusting me enough to tell me."

"I just… I couldn't help it," Beca admitted. "It hit me and once it was in my brain it's like I can't turn it off. And the fact that she's all obsessed over that fucker Chicago only makes it worse."

"You could have said something to her about him," Luke pointed out. "I told you why I couldn't, but what's stopping you?"

Beca shook her head, "I mentioned the other day that I didn't like him and that I didn't think he was right for her and she got upset. I think she actually likes him, and she was so supportive of me with Theo that it just feels wrong to not support her back."

Luke sighed, "I don't know, Bec. She's not gonna be happy when she finds out."

"I know, but I don't know how to tell her without sounding jealous… either of him or their relationship," Beca replied. "It's like… my relationship didn't work out so I'm trying to mess hers up too or something. It's stupid but that's how it looks."

"Maybe to you," Luke disagreed, "She might be happy you told her the truth… that the guy she likes is a liar and a jackass."

Beca shook her head, "You can't judge me on this when you're refusing to say something too. Even if I understand your reasons… you also understand mine."

"This whole thing is so fucked up," Luke shook his head. "Back to the point at hand… we can discuss that situation with Chicago with our mics on. What we can't discuss later is that you like Chloe and I'd bet all our remaining Truth Booth's that she likes you too."

"Don't be ridiculous," Beca scoffed. "She does not like me back… not as more than a friend, anyways. Why would she?"

Luke rolled his eyes, "Seriously? Bec, you're beautiful. You're not really my type, but you're stunning. Didn't you realize that just about every guy in the house was into you?"

Beca raised an eyebrow at him. "No they weren't."

Luke laughed at her. "Beca, DJ wouldn't shut up about you those first few days. Theo and Jesse fought over you for literally the first four weeks. Why is that so hard for you to believe? Chloe looks at you differently than the other women… trust me."

"I can't… I can't go there," Beca shook her head. "This is already hard enough, Luke. Can you just.. Not?"

"I mean, sure," Luke shrugged, glancing at her before looking away again. "But can I just say one thing?"

Beca hummed, "Sure. You'll probably say it anyways."

He chuckled, but stopped and turned towards her. His voice was more serious than she was expecting, causing her to meet his gaze when he spoke.

"Bec, this is just a stupid show. Don't let it stand in the way of true feelings, okay? Just because people seem like a perfect match on paper doesn't mean they actually will be one in real life," Luke said, glancing back to make sure the crew was still out of earshot. "My advice would be to tell her how you feel. You deserve to know if Chloe is your person, and fuck what everyone on this show thinks about that."

Beca let his words sink in, wondering briefly if he was right about Chloe returning her feelings. It was just too hard for her to believe… that someone like Chloe would come on this show looking for her perfect match husband and end up having feelings for someone like her.

"I really appreciate your support, Luke," Beca said softly. "But the past few days have been hard enough dealing with these feelings without the hope that she might feel the same way. I… it's too much, okay? I'm doing my best to make it through the rest of the show without having a complete breakdown and doing something incredibly stupid. Think you can keep this to yourself and help me not ruin my life on national television?"

Luke studied her for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, Bec. Of course I can do that for you. Just promise you'll think about what I said, okay?"

Beca nodded back, "I will. There's also that small issue that no one in my life knows I'm bi… rather not have them find out from this show."

That broke the tension between them, Luke laughing and agreeing, "Yeah, I think that's fair. Don't worry, Bec, your secret is safe with me."

They sat in silence for a few more minutes before footsteps behind them had them turning around to see CR herself approaching them.

"Hi there," she greeted sarcastically. "Having fun?"

"Loads," Luke responded enthusiastically, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Fun's over," CR deadpanned back, rolling her eyes as she handed them back their necklaces. "Put these back on."

Beca accepted hers, returning it to its place securely around her neck. "Happy now?"

CR winked, her reply just as sarcastic. "Thrilled."


"Alright it's challenge day! I want everyone on the couch in five minutes!" CR shouted, her voice piercing through the house.

Beca glanced across the kitchen at Luke, wondering what their challenge was for this week. With the boys having to do most of the work last time, she had a terrifying feeling it was the girls turn today.

Jesse confirmed that fear, saying, "It better be up to the ladies this week. I might still have a headache from how many poles I ran into blindfolded."

Aubrey laughed, teasing him, "Well if you had listened to me better you wouldn't have run into any."

"Oh, sorry for not being able to pick out your voice among all the screaming and shouting," Jesse retorted.

Beca grinned at him, "I recall you just standing still for a while… how many poles could you have run into?"

Jesse shot back, "I'd already hit several and was traumatized. You'd be a lot more cautious if you could feel a knot forming on your forehead."

Luke joked, "I dunno, it might be an improvement for you, Jess."

"Fuck you," Jesse grumbled, though there wasn't a lot of heat behind his tone.

Aubrey managed to control her grin, hopping down from where she'd been seated on the counter top. "Come on, let's go before CR comes and yells at us for being late."

Beca nodded in agreement, maintaining her new strict policy of not pissing CR off whenever possible. The executive producer seemed to have her temper on a shorter leash than usual, making her wonder the cause behind it and hope it wasn't them.

They gathered in the living room, piling onto the couch with a few stragglers standing behind it facing the large television screen. CR was standing in her usual spot waiting to brief them, glancing occasionally at her watch while she waited for the group to be fully assembled.

Beca glanced around realizing that the only two missing were Chloe and Chicago, her stomach doing an unpleasant summersault at the potential explanations. They finally entered the room hand in hand, several minutes after the five-minute warning CR had yelled throughout the house. Beca purposely locked her gaze on the producer, not wanting to torture herself any more than necessary.

"Okay, great, now that we're all finally here…" CR trailed off, pointedly looking at Chloe and Chicago.

Luke whispered beside her, "God, her shade game is something I aspire to."

Beca clenched her teeth together, fighting back the laughter at his comment.

CR continued flawlessly, "It's time to go over your challenge for today. You'll be coupling up again and the ladies will be competing for the getaway dates. The challenge will take place in the pool. We've thrown diving rings into the pool, and you ladies will be responsible for retrieving five of the correct color. The first three ladies to get five rings from the bottom of the pool will win the date."

Fat Amy raised her hand, speaking without waiting to be acknowledged. "I'm sorry, you want us to dive for pool rings?"

CR fixed her with a stare. "What was confusing about that?"

"Men fight over me, not the other way around," Fat Amy said bluntly. "This is a job for my boy toys."

CR rolled her eyes and ignored the blonde.

"And now we all know why Fat Amy is here," Luke's commentary continued, this time Beca snickering a little.

"What are the guys gonna be doing?" Calamity asked curiously.

"They'll be standing near the pool cheering you on," CR answered. "When you retrieve a ring, you'll hop out of the pool and hand it to your partner who will hang it from a nearby hook. The five rings have to be on the hook to count."

"Why didn't you say that in the first place," Kommissar commented.

CR's eyes narrowed, making Beca flinch. "I was getting there, but you interrupted with questions before I could finish."

Beca glanced around nervously, wondering if anyone would be brave enough to ask another question after that icy response.

"Good, glad you all picked up on this one so quickly," CR's voice was back to normal, making Beca want to laugh again. "Ladies, go get changed into your swimsuits and meet right outside the back door. You have ten minutes."


"Okay, since we're by the pool again we will not be running over to Gail," CR instructed. "You'll all walk calmly over to where she's waiting for you and she will begin explaining your challenge."

Beca looked over to where Gail was clearly visible standing by the pool. CR's directions should be easy enough to follow, which means they would probably mess it up several times.

"Alright, go!"

Beca started walking with the group, cameras moving around them as they approached the designated spot near where Gail was waiting for them.

"Hey guys! Come on over!" Gail greeted, waving at them and then gesturing where they should stand.

"Nope! Cut!" CR shouted, glancing up at the sky. "Start over from the beginning," she yelled, before turning and directing a couple of cameras to different locations.

Beca sighed, returning back under the overhang to wait for their cue.

"This is going to be a long shoot," Jesse muttered.

"As long as we don't have to redo anything after the challenge starts," Calamity responds. "I'm not trying to go diving for rings for hours."

"Ugh, that sounds terrible," Stacie agreed.

"We've got bigger problems, people," Aubrey's voice was serious. "We get to couple up again and we didn't get any time to strategize after that disasterclass at the matchup."

Unicycle refused to accept that the guys fucked up. "I keep telling you it was worth it!"

"Shut up, Uni," Calamity shot at him. "Sheer luck was the only thing that kept us from a blackout."

"But we didn't blackout," he argued weakly.

Fat Amy threatened, "Thank your lucky stars we didn't, or your ass would have been mine."

CR's voice was heard above the muttering, "Okay! Let's go again!"

The group started moving again, approaching Gail at a steady pace while the camera crews worked their asses off to capture the shots CR wanted.

"Hey guys! Come on over!" Gail's greeting was identical, as were her gestures telling them where to congregate.

They must have done it correctly this time, or CR got the shots she was aiming for as she didn't interrupt the host.

"How are we doing after that disappointing matchup?"

Calamity answered, "We're committed to working together to figure out everyone's perfect match."

Gail nodded in agreement, "Absolutely right. You guys have to rely on each other and work together to solve this puzzle."

They all nodded and murmured in agreement, Gail taking a moment before moving on.

"One way to do that is to get another perfect match confirmed in the Truth Booth," Gail continued, "So let's take one step closer to that and get to your next getaway date challenge!"

Beca cheered along with everyone else, already having decided that she wanted to win the date. Or lose the challenge if Chloe won. Really anything to put some distance between herself and having to witness the redhead's growing connection with Chicago.

"Alright, I like the excitement!" Gail grinned. "I'm calling today's challenge Get Wet or Dive Trying!"

Beca bit back a groan at the pun, slightly shaking her head. A few laughs sounded out from around her, with most just smiling at their host's scripted cleverness.

"You will pair up for this challenge, and each of you will have a part to play," Gail informed them. "Each pair will be assigned a color. The ladies will be diving for pool rings that match their color. They will retrieve a ring from the bottom of the pool, swim back to the edge and climb out to give the ring to their partner, who will take it and hang it on the appropriate hook on this board," Gail explained, gesturing to a long board a ways behind her in the grass with nine hooks on it and a colored chip already hanging from each one.

Beca glanced toward the pool to see nine colored mats lined up on the edge, and another set of mats about ten feet away in the grass.

"The girls will start on the mats beside the pool and the guys will start on the mats in the grass," Gail's explanation continued. "The guys will not be allowed to leave their mats until they are holding a ring. So ladies you have to get completely out of the pool and deliver each ring to your partner. Guys, you can see the board here is about ten feet behind your mats, so you've got to get the ring on the right hook and get back to your mat for the next ring from your partner."

After another pause in which CR did not interrupt them, Gail kept going with her instructions. "Okay, partner up and let's get started!"

The group was really scrambling this time, eyes darting around trying to decide the best pairs for the challenge. Beca didn't hesitate, grabbing onto Luke's hand before anyone else could try to convince either of them to partner up. Together they watched the rest of the panic settle down into couples.

Gail looked over them once things settled down, announcing, "Alright let's see. We've got Beca and Luke, Tom and Calamity, Lilly and DJ, Stacie and Theo, Jesse and Aubrey, Chloe and Chicago, Flo and Bumper, Fat Amy and Uni, and last but certainly not least, Zeke and Kommissar."

Beca's eyes widened a bit and she craned her neck at the mention of Stacie and Theo. Now that was a pair she did not see coming, making her wonder if it was on purpose or they were simply the odd ones out this time. It was difficult for her to believe Stacie would ever be a last resort, but her attachment to Tom may have made the rest of the guys less interested since a romantic possibility was out of the question.

Gail called out, "Okay everyone, get to your starting mats and let's get this challenge started!"

Beca exchanged a fist bump with Luke, quietly asking, "So, are we trying to win or…"

Luke nodded, "I need to get out of this house. Do you realize I haven't been on a date since the first week?"

"Okay, okay, I'll try," Beca promised. She'd only been on one date herself, but it was in the middle of her time in the house which helped break up the stir-crazy feelings.

Beca ended up on the yellow mat, fairly happy about that considering none of the other colors were close to hers. She had a feeling underwater it might be tricky to distinguish blue from purple and red from pink or orange. She pulled her goggles down into place and got ready to jump into the water, everything slightly tinted as she looked around waiting for Gail.

"Hope all you bitches are ready to fight for second place," Calamity called out confidently, her grin stretching ear to ear.

Kommissar rolled her eyes, "Sorry, what was that? I don't speak loser?"

Beca snickered at that quip as Zeke must have overheard the blonde.

"Yeah! She actually speaks like seven languages, but loser isn't one of them!"

Calamity ignored him, eyes on Kommissar. "Can you even swim?"

Gail interrupted their banter, calling out, "Alright ladies, are you ready?!"

They shouted back a chorus of "Yes!" and Gail raised an arm in the air, bringing it down quickly as she shouted, "Go!"

Beca immediately jumped into the pool and let herself sink straight to the bottom. She wasn't an expert swimmer by any means, but she could retrieve rings from the deep end of a pool. Luckily a yellow one was nearby and she quickly grabbed it, pushing off from the bottom to discover she was the first to break the surface with a ring.

"Nice Bec!" Luke's voice shouted out, encouraging her.

She swam the few feet back to the edge of the pool, climbing over the edge and ran over to his mat to pass him the ring.

"Nice! Go get the next one," Luke said, taking it from her and spinning to find their yellow hook.

Beca nodded, already slightly out of breath as she jogged back to the pool. Chloe, Lilly, Flo, and Calamity were all climbing out of the pool with their first ring, while the rest were either still in the water or swimming towards the edge. She knew she needed to move quickly before her slim lead evaporated.

She jumped farther into the water this time, knowing that the rest of her yellow rings weren't going to be so close to her starting point. Sinking to the bottom, Beca looked around for her next ring, spotting a flash of yellow a few feet to her right. She was able to grab it without needing to surface for air, popping back up and beginning the swim back to the edge of the pool.

Stacie and Aubrey were in the process of climbing out of the water, and Beca joined them as they all passed off their rings at the same time. Luke clapped as she jogged towards him, trying to stay positive.

"Great job, Becs! You're doing amazing!"

"Yeah yeah, just take it," Beca panted, handing off the ring and spinning back around. "Why couldn't we stop at three rings? Why five?"

That earned her a few laughs from Stacie and an, "You need to do more cardio!" from Aubrey.

Fat Amy was just reaching the edge of the pool with her first ring as the three of them jumped back in, commenting, "Don't put me down for cardio."

Beca laughed as she jumped back in the water, realizing her mistake too late as she came up coughing and gasping instead of sinking to the bottom.

"Bec! Are you okay?! Don't die!"

She could hear the laughter in Luke's voice, raising her hand over her head with only the middle finger extended before diving back down to the bottom of the pool. She swam for a few feet before spotting the next yellow ring, but she still hadn't completely recovered from her coughing attack and needed to surface before having the breath to dive down and retrieve it. Chloe, Calamity, and Lilly were hot on her heels as she climbed out of the pool with the third ring.

"You're crushing it Bec, just two more," Luke said, taking it from her and turning to sprint to hang it on the hook.

Beca nodded, sucking in a gulp of air as she ran back to the pool and jumped in. She kept telling herself it was almost over as she swam along the bottom in search of another yellow ring. Miraculously she found it just before she gave in and surfaced, grabbing securely in her hand and pushed off hard from the bottom. She had resorted to doggy paddling to the edge of the pool, breathing heavily from all the physical activity. It was way, way… way fucking more than she was used to. If she'd been partnered with anyone but Luke she might have simply given up and sat on the edge of the pool the way Fat Amy had.

She jogged over and handed him the ring, taking a quick second to breathe.

"Just one more, Bec, then you can breathe," Luke told her, before taking off with the fourth ring.

"If I don't die I might kill him," she muttered as she turned and ran back to the pool.

She jumped in and sunk to the bottom, turning in every direction in search of her last ring. They pool floor was still littered with rings of all colors, but there was only one left for her. A glance behind her told her Chloe was also searching for her last ring, and a whoosh nearby brought Calamity to the bottom of the pool with them.

Fuck. Beca started frantically swimming along the bottom looking for her final ring, surfacing quickly before resuming the search. Her only saving grace as Lilly and Stacie joined the three of them was that they all seemed to be having trouble. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted yellow, swimming as fast as she could over to it and grabbing the ring from a multicolored pile. Beca kicked off from the bottom knowing she was the first to locate her final ring, shouting, "Luke! I got it!"

Luke yelled back, "Get your ass outta that pool! Hurry up! Calamity's right behind you!"

Fuck. Beca climbed over the edge of the pool, her muscles screaming at her from overexertion. She was definitely going to pay for this tomorrow, and hoped the date included a massage. She handed the ring over to Luke about three seconds before Calamity passed her ring to Tom, watching in relief as Luke raced over and was the first to hang it on the correct hook.

"Thank fucking God," Beca gasped, collapsing onto Luke's yellow mat and rolling onto her back, pulling the goggles off and threw them somewhere far away.

Luke was back seconds later, ignoring her protests as he pulled her to her feet and into a hug that lifted her clear off the ground.

"Fuck yeah, Becs! You killed that challenge!"

Calamity and Tom weren't as enthusiastic with their celebration, but both looked equally pleased about winning a date out of the house.

Luke set her feet back on the ground in time to see Chloe climb out of the pool, Beca's heart falling as quickly as it had rose in elation at the sight of Chicago sprinting to hang the ring up and finish in third place. Chloe barely looked winded as she shrieked in happiness, her hands in the air as he returned to hug her as well.

Luke sighed, whispering in her ear, "Odds of a group date are slim since the last one was."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Beca murmured, looking away from the pair.

"I mean… yeah, kinda," Luke gave her a hopeful, crooked smile.

Gail's voice cut through the noise, shouting, "That's it! We have our three winners!"

That must have been the signal to stop filming as the crew swarmed around the entire group with towels while the cameras all retreated into the background for a break.

Beca sat down in a chair after an assistant handed her a towel, wiping her face and rubbing it over her hair. She was still catching her breath from the challenge, looking up at Luke watching her patiently.

"What?"

He smiled, saying, "I just wanted to say thanks, Bec. I know that challenge was hard and you didn't have to keep pushing to win the getaway date…"

Beca rolled her eyes as he trailed off. "Dude, stop it. You've been an amazing friend to me and I know how badly you needed this one. I might not be able to move on our date tomorrow, but I'm looking forward to getting some time away from the house and there's no one else I'd rather go with."

"Except maybe…"

"Shut your stupid mouth."

Luke laughed and motioned zipping his lips. Beca shook her head, knowing that his playful antics were one of the reasons they got along so well. She was a bit surly and he simply pushed right past it, bringing the smile out in her.

It was about an hour before they were ready to resume the shoot, the crew needing a short break after the craziness of trying to capture the challenge from all angles and the women needing time to recover and dry off a little so they didn't look like drowned rats.

Eventually they were all gathered near the board with the rings hanging from it, Gail standing off to the side waiting for her cue to begin. Beca could see CR talking over a few things with a few of the crew, finally retreating out of the shot so they could begin again.

Gail's expression morphed into her camera-ready smile, and she turned to face the group more fully before speaking.

"That was an exciting challenge, guys! Everyone did great! As you know, the first three pairs to have five rings on their hook win the getaway date… so congratulations to Beca and Luke who finished in first place!"

Beca and Luke grinned and hugged while the rest of the group clapped for them.

"The next couple going on the getaway date is Tom and Calamity," she paused for more applause, "And the final couple getting out of the house tomorrow is Chicago and Chloe!"

Beca felt her chest tighten at their names, praying with her entire being that the dates were separate.

"Are you guys ready to find out what you'll be doing?" Gail asked teasingly, knowing the entire group was waiting for the news. It was one of the few pieces of information they weren't given before shooting to help get an authentic reaction.

Gail smiled at the excited and curious replies from the group, announcing, "You three couples are going for a ride on board the Mai Tai express! You'll be sipping cocktails on a private train ride through one of the oldest plantations on the island!"

Beca plastered a happy smile on her face as the group cheered loudly, knowing that the challenge was one that any of them would be thrilled to win. The only thing on her mind was how she was going to be stuck on a stupid train with Chloe and Chicago for hours and that there weren't enough cocktails in the world to make it worth it. Luke's arm slipped around her shoulders attempting to provide some measure of comfort as Gail continued explaining.

"You'll also have a snack break with fruit and other appetizers to help soak up some of those Mai Tai's," Gail quipped, her smile still locked in place.

Beca turned and gave Luke a full hug, muttering into his chest, "Just kill me now. You so owe me for this."

He snickered, whispering back, "We'll just get super drunk and the whole thing will seem hilarious."

"Deal." Beca let go of him, spinning back around to see Gail now wearing a more serious expression.

"As for the rest of you, this is the time where I usually tell you to vote one of these couples into the Truth Booth tomorrow while they're out on their date, but I'm not going to do that."

The surprise was evident on everyone's faces at Gail's words. The Truth Booth was essential to them figuring out the perfect matches. There's no way they could figure it out without that information.

"After the last matchup, I decided you guys needed a little extra help," Gail informed them, her expression turning slightly mischievous. "So, we're going to shake things up a bit with a twist. Voting for the Truth Booth will begin immediately following this challenge and stay open until the regular time tomorrow and everyone is allowed to cast a vote. Also, instead of having to vote in one of the winning couples, I will allow you to vote for ANY of the couples that competed in the challenge today, win or lose."

Beca knew her mouth fell open a bit, recognizing what a massive advantage this was. Her first thought was that while the natural inclination should have been to vote for Chicago and Chloe from the three winning couples, they had a golden opportunity to vote in DJ and Lilly. They were so convinced they were a perfect match that Beca desperately wanted to see if it was true. Also if they weren't a match, neither had any other real prospects or connections in the house. It would be a nightmare scenario.

"So, armed with that information…" Gail trailed off, smile back in place, "Get back to the house and think long and hard about who you want to see go into that Truth Booth tomorrow. I'll see you guys tomorrow night for the results."

CR shouted out, "Okay guys, start slowly walking back towards the house!"

The group nodded and did as directed. Beca fell into step with Luke, muttering, "We have to convince people to vote for DJ and Lilly."

He nodded, shooting her a serious glance. "I'm in."


"House meeting! Everyone get your flat butts to the couch now!" Fat Amy yelled through the house, before opening the back door and shouting it to everyone in the yard.

It didn't take long for everyone to assemble in the living room, piling onto the couch with a few sprawling out on the carpet.

Unicycle spoke first, "This is a golden opportunity. We can't waste this Truth Booth."

"I think you've lost the right to run the show," Calamity scoffed, still clearly sore about the guys fuck up at the last matchup.

He looked ready to argue, but Chicago stepped in. "She's right, okay? We fucked it all up, so let's see what the ladies think."

Beca hated that she completely agreed with him, happy that he not only owned up to their mistake but also acknowledged that the women deserved to be heard first. One look at the approval in Chloe's eyes had the feeling vanish, leaving a sour taste in her mouth that she fought to keep from being obvious on her face.

Instead, she took the opportunity to go to bat for her friend. Standing up, she said confidently, "I think it needs to be DJ and Lilly."

Chicago's support vanished as quickly as her appreciation for his initial words. "We literally just said we can't waste this Truth Booth."

Beca glared at his dismissive tone. "Hey, asshole, maybe if you were paying attention you would see that they are the strongest couple left in the house."

Luke jumped up as well, holding his hand up before Chicago could respond. "Hold on, let's see if we can have a reasonable discussion without everything going to hell," he said diplomatically, imploring Beca with his gaze to sit down.

She nodded, her lips forming a thin line as she sat down and gestured for him to continue.

"That being said," Luke continued, "I agree with Beca. DJ and Lilly have been saying for weeks they think they're a perfect match. Even if you don't think they are, we need to find out one way or another. Think about how much it fucks everything up if they aren't."

The group was silent at that, Zeke eventually offering his opinion. "I get what you're saying, but I think the most logical couple to vote in would be Chloe and Chicago."

Donald finally had enough, retorting, "Why? Because they look the most conventional?"

"I didn't say that," Zeke answered defensively, holding his hands up. "Just my opinion."

"You guys have been dismissive of Lilly and I this entire time," Donald spat. "I'm telling you… we are a perfect match."

Bumper chimed in, "I could see either couple being a match. Personally I'd lean towards voting in Chloe and Chicago, but I'm also fine if the group decides on DJ and Lilly."

"You know, ultimately we can vote for any couple we want," Kommissar offered. "Sure we can sit down like this one big happy family, but no one is forced to go along with any one couple. What if we just all vote for who we want and see what happens."

Uni rolled his eyes, "Because that's wasting this chance! We need to vote in a couple that has been shit at challenges… like Aubrey and Jesse."

Jesse glared at the other man, "Hey, fuck you dude. Aubrey and I could have been voted into the Truth Booth once already. We could definitely win another challenge."

Fat Amy's voice rose loudly above the other murmurs starting to grow, "Look, it's a solid point. Not that you won't win another challenge, but that you two should go into the booth. Aubrey and Jesse have been paired up for weeks now. I think we should vote them in."

Several voices rose in opposition to that idea, making Beca run her fingers through her hair and look helplessly at Luke. He shook his head, returning to his seat beside her.

"I don't think we're gonna have much luck deciding on a consensus," Luke sighed, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

As she looked around at the arguments growing progressively louder, Beca knew he was right.


Beca smirked as she spun the liquor bottle in her hand before expertly pouring the exact amount into the glass before her. Donald and Luke were cheering her on, but she was getting the most satisfaction from the impressed looks on Stacie and Tom's faces. By this point in the evening Beca was convinced that nothing she could do would ever impress Lilly… and that was okay.

She finished mixing the drink, completing Donald's challenge of showing off as much as possible while doing it. Beca slid the glass down the countertop so it stopped in front of him, shooting him a wink.

"You brave enough to taste it?"

Stacie nudged him out of the way, taking the glass and downing it like a shot.

"Damn, Bec… that's fucking good," Stacie praised, licking her lips.

Luke crowed, "She passes! DJ, that means you gotta go streaking through every room of the house!"

Donald didn't seem to mind, bragging, "Piece of cake, bro."

Beca started laughing as he theatrically stripped his shirt off, pouring him a quick shot to take before he began.

"One for the road, DJ!" she winked, watching him throw it back with ease.

He stripped down to his boxers and looked around, Beca expecting him to take off at a moments notice. Instead he locked onto Lilly and grabbed her, dipping her low and kissing her deeply. The second she was back on her feet he dropped his boxers and took off running out of the kitchen, shouting something at the top of his lungs.

Beca glanced at Lilly who looked smug, only waiting a moment before taking off after him.

Stacie laughed hysterically at the series of events, commenting, "The boom boom room is definitely occupied tonight! Guess we'll have to find a new spot, Tommy."

Beca glanced at Luke, mouthing, 'Tommy?'

He shook his head, his expression matching her confused and disturbed one.

Beca looked away as someone entered the kitchen, locking eyes with Chloe.

"Hey, Bec… why is DJ running around naked and blaming you for it?" Chloe asked curiously, a small smile on her face.

Beca shrugged, exchanging a grin with Luke. "No idea."

"Mm hmm," Chloe chuckled. "You two are trouble."

"Whatever," Luke scoffed, "It was Stacie's idea in the first place."

Beca laughed at Stacie flipping him off, clearly not impressed with how quickly Luke threw her under that bus before going back to making out with Tom.

Chloe shook her head at the scene, finally turning back to Beca. "Can we talk for a sec?"

Beca hesitated, unsure it was a good idea. The last time she and Chloe spoke one on one hadn't ended well, and now Beca was only more aware of her growing attraction to the redhead. Unfortunately, she didn't have a good reason to decline.

"Yeah, sure. Uh.. Let's go outside, yeah? I know for a fact it's streaker free out there," Beca joked, gesturing towards the back door.

They walked outside in silence, Beca glancing around when she realized none of the camera crews had followed them. They sat down beside each other on the back deck swing, Beca wondering which one would break the quiet that was growing more awkward for her by the second.

"We haven't hung out much lately," Chloe started, glancing at her. "I miss it."

Beca wasn't sure what to say to that. Wracking her brain, she finally replied, "Yeah… I mean you've been kinda… doing your thing with Chicago…"

Chloe countered, "I can't remember the last time I saw you without Luke either."

"Fair," Beca admitted, knowing she'd been using Luke like a human shield, thankful he was more than willing to play the role.

"I know you said that you two aren't actually…"

Beca cut her off, "We aren't."

Chloe eyed her, her tone slightly disbelieving, "Come on, Bec. You don't have to hide it or whatever because Luke and I had something for a couple days."

Beca laughed, the idea of her and Luke as an actual couple too ridiculous for her to maintain a straight face. "Chloe, I swear to you… Luke and I are just friends. We've never… well, we've never done anything romantic or anything like that at all. Gross, dude. It'd be like kissing my brother."

Chloe smiled at that, the first true smile Beca had been the cause of in a while. "Don't call me dude."

"Fair," Beca said again, shooting the redhead a small smile. "If it doesn't bother you… me and Luke, why do you care?"

There was a long pause before Chloe finally murmured, "I didn't say it didn't bother me."

Beca felt her chest tighten, Luke's words flooding her mind and making her wonder if he knew something she didn't. She had to know, despite being terrified to ask the question.

"Why… why does it bother you?"

Chloe didn't answer immediately again, finally saying, "Because if you two know you aren't a match then you're probably messing everything up for the rest of the house."

Right, of course. Beca couldn't deny that her answer felt like the hope that had blossomed only moments ago immediately morphed into a lead weight in the center of her stupid million dollars that only became a reality if they got ten perfect matches. Beca knew Chloe didn't really care too much about the money, but she did care that everyone in the house was legitimately trying to find their match because she was a decent person. Not like Beca who went and developed stupidly strong crushes on someone she could never have.

"Yeah… right… stupid of us really," Beca mumbled, standing up abruptly from the swing.

Chloe reached out and gently grabbed her wrist. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean that."

Beca met her gaze, recognizing the regret in her eyes but unable to do anything with her grip burning her skin. She slowly eased out of Chloe's hold, feeling the hurt expression on the redhead's face as if she was the one in pain.

"I'm sorry too," Beca said, shaking her head as she looked out across the pool. "I know I've been weird, but I did warn you," she joked, trying to lighten the mood a little.

Chloe let out a soft laugh, nodding in agreement. "True, you did."

Neither of them said anything for a long minute, Beca contemplating sitting back down on the swing beside Chloe when the back door flung open and Chicago stepped through it. His head swiveled around before his gaze locked on Chloe, striding over to her and sitting down beside her on the swing.

"Hey Chlo, I was looking for you everywhere," he grinned, resting his arm casually around her shoulders before looking at Beca. "Beca."

Beca didn't hesitate, nodding at his entrance and turned to walk back inside.

"Bec, wait," Chloe called out, making her stop.

She half-turned to see Chicago leaning in to whisper something into Chloe's ear, knowing it was time for her to go despite the conflicted look on the redhead's face.

"I'll leave you two alone," she said in what she prayed was a casual tone, before turning her back on the couple and heading back inside the house.


Beca and Luke were the first couple standing outside in front of the house waiting for the van to arrive to drive them to the challenge, alongside about fifteen to twenty crew members and production assistants. As she had expected, her body ached from the physical exertion she'd put it through during the challenge yesterday, completely grateful that their date would consist of simply sitting on a train and sipping cocktails. Nothing sounded better to her, even if Chloe and Chicago were also on that train.

"How many people do you guys need to film us all riding on a train?" Luke asked one of them.

The guy shrugged, "Way above my pay grade dude."

Beca chuckled, knowing they weren't getting a legitimate answer from any of them. CR would join them eventually and she was probably the only one with information they could trust. Most of these guys were responsible for filming and the tech side of things.

Tom and Calamity were the next ones to stroll outside, coming to a stop beside them holding coffee in plastic to-go cups.

"Where are Chicago and Chloe?" Calamity asked, looking around.

Beca didn't answer, having no idea and not wanting to think too hard about it.

"Dunno," Luke responded for them. "Not like we can go anywhere anyways without a ride.

"True," Tom agreed, sipping from his cup. "I'm looking forward to this… getting out of the house for a relaxing day."

"I would have thought you'd rather stay here with Stacie," Calamity teased, her voice light.

Tom laughed, "Stace and I are good. She's actually jealous. Besides, we still have to figure out who our perfect matches are… so I'm looking forward to getting to know you better," he replied to Calamity. "We haven't talked much."

Calamity nodded, "Yeah, me too. Maybe we can find a more private corner on the train ," she finished with a playful wink.

Beca was distracted from their conversation as Chloe and Chicago walked outside to join them, thankfully not holding hands. It was a little early in the morning for her to feel nauseous. They all chatted lightly about what the date would be like for a few minutes until a couple of vans pulled up the driveway.

CR came striding out of the house followed by a production assistant, one of the normal ones that could be seen shadowing her during the shoots.

"Okay guys, let's go," CR instructed, all business even at this early hour. "The three couples in the first van with Rob's crew and everyone else in the second. Rob, you good?"

One of the other producers nodded and began getting his people together while the six of them piled into the van. Beca and Luke ended up the last row, with Chloe and Chicago in front of them and Calamity and Tom in the second row. The first row of the fifteen-passenger van was for the crew so they could film some of the ride if anything interesting were to happen. After her last van ride, Beca was determined not to say a single word.

It was about an hour before they pulled up to the plantation, CR guiding their group towards where the train would arrive to pick them up. Beca was stunned to see actual train tracks, expecting it to be more of a driving thing than a real railroad.

CR gathered them together to explain how the day was going to work. "Okay, so the train will arrive in about thirty minutes. It'll take us another hour or so to get setup provided there are no delays or issues, and then the ride itself takes around three hours. There is a bartender on board that will be mixing the cocktails, and there's a stop about two hours in where we have a tent setup with food. Got it?"

They nodded, realizing they were going to be hanging out on this platform for at least an hour before anything happened.

"Good. We have breakfast coming in about ten," she added before walking away to address the crew.

Beca sighed, searching out the nearest bench and sitting down on it. "Might as well get comfortable," she said, glancing at Luke.

Tom nodded in agreement, "Yeah, it's definitely gonna be a minute before we go anywhere."


It was closer to two hours before the train ride got underway, CR requesting shots of them cheering and waving as the engine approached the platform. They had to practice since apparently they only had one shot at it and she wanted to make sure they had something usable. Thankfully they seemed to get it right, and were allowed to board the train.

There was a small bar set up in the car with a single bartender who introduced himself as Kai. The camera crews were jammed onto the train along with them for now, but CR promised they would stop and spread out amongst the several cars after things got going.

Beca quickly accepted a cocktail from Kai, sipping it before raising her eyebrows at Luke. "This is fucking good."

Luke got his own drink after a few minutes, clinking his glass with hers. "Cheers to a relaxing day away from the house."

Beca smiled, happy to drink to that. They sat down in one of the seats to enjoy the drinks and the view of the plantation slowly rolling by. It was truly gorgeous, and they had a good time commenting on all the different sights.

Much to her continued surprise, the group was getting along well during this first part of the ride. CR had instructed them to hang out in one big group for a short time, and thankfully no one seemed eager to cause drama. Beca noticed Chicago's gaze straying towards Calamity every so often, but Chloe was too distracted looking out of the car at the plantation to notice.

After about thirty minutes, CR had the train stop and separated them into their couples. Beca and Luke ended up in the very back of the train with a crew of their own and instructions to talk.

Beca rolled her eyes at that, retorting, "What would you like us to talk about?"

"Something that's not going to get me fired," the guy shot back, his tone patronizing.

Luke interrupted before Beca could say something she'd regret, "Okay, got it. Don't be a dick," he said to the guy behind the camera, shooting her a warning look to let it go.

Beca sighed, wracking her brain for something the crew would be able to use. "So… where is your head at?"

Luke shot her a confused look, asking, "You mean like who my perfect match is? I have no idea. Honestly, I could see it being you."

Beca smirked, "Seriously?"

"Hey, come on it's not that crazy of a thought," Luke argued playfully. "I mean look how well we vibe. Maybe on paper we looked perfect. You can't control chemistry."

"I guess," Beca shrugged. "Assuming it's not me… who do you think it is?"

Luke sighed, sipping his drink as he thought about his answer. "Maybe Aubrey?"

Beca almost choked on her drink at that answer, eyes going wide. "Aubrey?"

"I told you I like blondes," Luke replied pointedly. "And she's cool. And hot. Why are you looking at me like that?"

Beca fixed her face, "No, sorry. I just am so used to seeing her making heart eyes at Jesse that the visual threw me. I could see it."

Luke's eyes narrowed momentarily, before asking, "What about you? If Theo isn't your match… then who?"

"I have this fear that it's like… Uni," Beca admitted, adding after a moment, "Or Chicago. But that's mainly because I have no idea."

The producer assigned to them interrupted their conversation, his voice sounding irritated. "I'm gonna remind you guys that you're on a date. You're supposed to be into each other, not other people."

"Hey, we're not interested in each other," Beca shot back. "It's kinda hard to pretend to be on a date with someone you're not romantically invested in."

Luke grinned, "Don't hold back, Bec. Tell them how you really feel about me."

Beca shoved him, looking back to the producer. "Luke is the best guy in that house. I wish I felt that way about him because it's so easy… but I don't and neither does he."

The guy shook his head in frustration. "This is a wrap. We aren't gonna be able to use any of this. Let's shift to Tom and Calamity."

Beca watched in satisfaction as the crew moved to the opposite end of the car where the aforementioned couple seemed to be chatting easily in one of the seats.

"How are you doing with all this today?" Luke asked curiously, his eyes on the passing scenery.

"It's actually not as bad as I pictured," Beca answered honestly. "The strong drinks aren't hurting anything, though."

Luke nodded, "They are really good. You could learn a thing or two from him."

Beca scoffed, "Anything with this much fruit juice would taste good."

"That's probably true."

After a minute, Luke commented, "You notice that Chicago keeps eyeing Calamity?"

Beca nodded, "Actually, yes. I didn't realize anyone else picked up on it, but maybe he's being more obvious about it than I thought."

"It's ridiculous," Luke mused. "I have a feeling it's because she seems to be having a pretty good time with Tom… but she's also kinda encouraging it. I've seen her wink at him a few times when she catches him doing it."

"What's ridiculous is how Chloe is so oblivious to it all," Beca grumbled.

Luke hummed, "Chloe is a good person. She knows that Chicago and Calamity had a connection and probably assumes they remained friends. It's not like we actually know what he's telling her… unless you got some girl talk outta her at some point."

"You know I thought about it," Beca started, "But then I decided I didn't want to vomit that day and changed my mind."

Luke laughed, reaching his glass over to clink against hers. "Touché, Bec."

After a little while longer the train stopped again so they could all reconvene in the same car again, making it a little easier for the crew to shoot. They all chatted easily about random things… the plantation, the train ride, the cocktails, what the house was doing in their absence, and who they thought was going into the Truth Booth that evening.

The stopping and starting extended the train ride, and after closer to three hours they arrived at the little picnic area set up for them. Beca spotted a small table with food on it, her stomach suddenly rumbling at the smell of fresh fruit and roasted meat.

Luke voiced her thoughts, "Oh man that smells amazing!"

The train stopped and CR forced them all to wait until the crew disembarked and quickly got setup to film.

"I swear, no normal person would actually want to be on television if they knew how things really went down," Chloe said, looking longingly at the table of food. "It's a miracle people don't starve."

Beca agreed, "I'll definitely have some words to say anytime I hear the phrase, "It'd be so cool to be on TV."

"Totes," Chloe nodded, her tone serious enough to make Beca bite her lip to keep from laughing.

"Alright, you guys are good to go," CR called out. "Walk slowly over here, please!"

They got off the train one by one and walked over to the food table, the smells making Beca's mouth water for a decent meal.

"You guys have a few minutes to eat something before we're gonna want to get some reaction footage," CR informed them as the crew moved with them still filming.

Chicago ended up beside Calamity at the table, subtly whispering something into her ear as he pointed at something on the table.

"Dude, do you fucking mind?"

Beca froze at Tom's voice, his harsh words cutting through the chill vibe they'd had all day.

Chicago jumped back and spun around, looking to make sure that Tom was speaking to him. "Are you talking to me?"

Tom shot him a look Beca was sure should be reserved for the clinically insane. "Yeah, I'm talking to you. How about you focus on your own date?"

Chicago rolled his eyes, "I don't know what you're talking about, dude. I've been with Chloe this entire time."

"Yeah, okay. You might have been next to her, but you've been staring at Calamity all day. It's bad enough you two are still fucking around… can you at least let me try to have a conversation with her? Or would you rather just swap dates?"

Beca's jaw dropped, exchanging glances with Luke. "Holy shit," she murmured.

Luke remained frozen, his voice low as he responded, "Shit is about to hit the fan. It's not gonna be pretty."

Chloe's eyes narrowed, looking back and forth between Tom, Chicago, and Calamity. Her gaze finally settled on Chicago, her tone blistering. "You're still sleeping with her?"

Chicago winced, his eyes shooting daggers at Tom.

Calamity's usual smirk remained in place, asking Chloe, "You didn't know? We aren't being subtle about it…"

Tom's eyes widened in anger as he realized what was going on, shoving Chicago hard in the chest. "You fucking jackass! At least I was open about still having feelings for Stacie even though we aren't a match! At least I was honest about it to other people in the house! You're a fucking coward! Lying straight to her face and stringing her along because you don't have the balls to pick one or the other!"

Beca watched the scene unfold in disbelief, watching their date descend into complete chaos. Chicago regained his balance and shoved Tom back, shouting something about judgement that Beca didn't quite catch because her attention shifted the second Chloe fled the area.

Luke leaned in, speaking softly in her ear, "Go. She needs you right now."

Beca nodded, taking off after the redhead. Chloe had ran off towards the front of the train, and Beca's sore muscles screamed in protest as she tried to catch up.

"Chlo! Chloe, wait!" Beca called, knowing she'd never catch her unless Chloe slowed down.

Thankfully, she did at the sound of Beca's voice. They were out of sight of the rest of the group by the time Beca caught up to her, and it broke her heart a little to see the tears streaming down Chloe's face.

"Chlo… I'm so sorry," Beca said, not expecting for her to move into her space and hug her tightly. She tentatively wrapped her arms around Chloe's waist, hugging her back.

After a minute Chloe pulled away, swiping angrily at her eyes. She seemed to recover from feeling hurt and those feelings were quickly being overtaken by fury.

"This is fucking bullshit!" Chloe shouted, turning away from Beca. "I keep putting myself out there and of course the nice guy isn't my match and I end up with a fucking asshole!"

Beca stayed silent, letting her get it all out.

Chloe turned around, her eyes blazing again. "Maybe it's me. Maybe it's my fault. I should have seen it… Calamity said they weren't being subtle. He said they were still friends but that all that was over between them… and I believed him! Like an idiot I just believed that he was actually into me… why is it so fucking crazy for someone to like me?"

Beca shook her head, "It's not! It's not crazy at all. You deserve that."

"Do I? I came here because I fall too fast," Chloe admitted, shaking her head. "I dive in head first and get burned… I don't know why I thought coming here would be different. I… I was really starting to like him."

Beca held her tongue, not thinking it was the moment for her to remind Chloe of her thoughts on Chicago the whole time. Unfortunately for her, Chloe seemed to arrive at that conclusion herself.

"You're a good friend Beca… you tried to warn me…" Chloe trailed off, eyes suddenly focusing in on her. "You told me you didn't like him from the beginning… for no reason. You just didn't like him. Then you told me you didn't think he was my match… you've been avoiding me and we haven't talked much since I started getting to know him…"

Beca could feel this moment spiraling out of control, but she was helpless to stop Chloe's realization once she was on the right track.

"Bec.. Please tell me you didn't know," Chloe's voice had gone quiet. "Please don't tell me you knew and you didn't tell me he was lying to my face and cheating on me."

Beca didn't know what to say. She couldn't tell Chloe what she desperately needed to hear in this moment. Luke had told her to tell Chloe the truth, and she was paying the price for not taking advantage of that opportunity. The hurt expression on Chloe's face had her heart feeling like it was breaking all over again, her silence speaking louder than any words could.

"I thought… I thought I could trust you," Chloe sounded defeated, all the energy and frustration and anger ebbing away into sadness.

"You can," Beca insisted, trying to salvage something before it was too late. "I wanted to tell you, I swear…"

Chloe cut her off, some of the fire returning. "Then why didn't you?! What could possibly have kept you from being my friend?! What kind of friend lets someone they care about get cheated on?!"

"A bad one!" Beca shouted back, hating herself for keeping the truth from Chloe. "I just kept thinking about how supportive you were of me and Theo even though I think I knew all along you weren't crazy about him and I wasn't sure either… You were excited about Chicago and happy with him and I felt like I had to support you in that the way you supported me."

"Theo wasn't lying to you and cheating on you!" Chloe shouted back. "He was … is a decent guy! You let me keep dating an asshole!"

Beca let out a frustrated sigh, running her fingers through her hair. "I know! I fucking hate that guy! It just felt… selfish of me to tell you something that might end a relationship that you obviously cared about."

Chloe paused, taking that statement in for a moment. "Why would that make you selfish?"

"I… I don't know," Beca was scrambling now, realizing she'd said too much. "It just felt wrong. I know you really liked him and…"

"If you honestly thought I would want to be with someone lying to me and essentially cheating on me then you don't know me very well." Chloe crossed her arms over her chest, her words hitting Beca hard.

After a second, she realized she hadn't properly apologized yet. "Chlo… you're right. I should have told you. I'm sorry."

Chloe shook her head, "It's a little late for that… don't you think?"

Beca watched her turn and walk away back towards the group, letting her go until she was out of sight.

"You ready to head back?"

The voice came from somewhere behind her, scaring the shit out of her making her jump a foot in the air.

"What the fuck?!"

She spun around to see a guy holding a camera down by his side standing next to one of the producers. "We should be getting back," he said again, tilting his head at her as if he was completely unfazed at the conversation that had just happened.

Shaking her head at the pair of them, she muttered, "Yeah sure."


The rest of the date was awful. Gone was the chill vibe of simply sipping cocktails on a beautiful train ride, and instead it was replaced with awkward tension and silence. The producers didn't push them for anything since they'd gotten all the drama they could have prayed for and then some, allowing the side of them to simply sit quietly for the remainder of the train ride and the entire drive back to the house.

The gossip had spread like wildfire within a few minutes of arriving back at the house, with Luke finally pulling Beca into the STD Den for a moment of privacy.

"What the fuck happened, Bec?"

Beca shook her head, completely defeated. "I… she figured out that I knew and it went downhill from there. She hates me. I blew it, Luke. You were right…"

Luke wrapped her in a hug as she trailed off, tears gathering hot behind her eyes.

"Shit… I'm sorry Bec," he sighed, holding her tightly. "Maybe she just needs some time to process everything."

"You weren't there," Beca replied, her voice muffled against his chest. "You didn't see how she looked at me."

Luke hesitated, finally saying, "I have an idea. Maybe like she was hurt? Or even heartbroken?"

Beca pulled back, wiping the tears from her eyes as she tried to regain some composure. "Of course she was hurt! The guy she really liked was lying to her and cheating on her and no one told her. I can't even blame her for being pissed at me."

A loud banging on the door interrupted them. "Hey! We need to be downstairs right now! It's Truth Booth time!"

They exchanged glances before Luke swiftly moved and opened the door, coming face to face with Jesse who looked apologetic.

"Sorry for interrupting," he said sheepishly, but CR was pretty insistent when she sent me to get you guys."

Beca shot him a weak smile. "It's okay, Jesse. Nothing was happening… we just needed a minute after the shit that went down today."

He nodded, "I heard. Sounds intense."

Luke took a deep breath, slipping out of the room past him replying, "Understatement, dude."

Beca stepped out into the hallway, walking back to the living room with the pair of them. CR spotted her and Luke immediately, gesturing for them to go stand where the date couples usually lined up. Chloe, Chicago, Tom, and Calamity were already there, all looking uncomfortable and like they'd rather be standing much farther apart. Beca and Luke joined them just as Gail entered the room.

"Hey guys, it's Truth Booth time!" Gail said enthusiastically, and Beca detected a bit of sarcasm thrown in there as well since they weren't filming yet.

The rest of the group was getting settled into positions on the couch and floor while the crew finished their preparations. CR was finally satisfied with everything, moving away and gesturing to Gail to begin the shoot.

"Hey everyone… how're we doing tonight?" Gail's host voice and smile were flawless as she addressed them again.

The replies were mixed, most of them still processing what had happened during the date.

"Great, glad to hear it," Gail pressed on as if everything was fine. "How was the date today?"

None of them jumped to answer the question, Luke finally responding, "It was interesting."

Gail didn't let it go, looking at Chloe. "Chloe, you don't look happy right now…"

Chloe took a slow breath, answering carefully, "I learned a few things today, Gail. I thought Chicago and I were building something but it turns out he was with someone else the whole time."

Gail turned to the man in question, asking, "Chicago… that's a pretty heavy statement. Care to respond?"

Beca watched him squirm a little, feeling like a terrible person that she was enjoying him having to face the mess he'd gotten himself into.

"I wasn't as honest with Chloe as I should have been," Chicago finally answered. "Now I have to deal with the consequences of that."

Gail nodded, though Beca was surprised she didn't push the topic even more.

"As you guys know, I gave you a twist for this Truth Booth tonight," Gail began, looking around at the group. "Everyone got to vote this time, and that vote could be cast for any of the couples that were paired up in the challenge yesterday."

The group nodded as Gail paused, letting those words sink in.

"I will tell you… that this was the closest Truth Booth vote yet," she said, her tone turning a little more serious. "The difference between the top two couples was only a single vote."

The group looked around shocked at that, a few murmurs going around the room as they all wondered who ended up winning the vote.

"Now, if the couple that enters the Truth Booth is a perfect match, they will leave the house after the matchup tomorrow and spend the rest of their time here in the honeymoon suite getting that one on one time," Gail informed them, her smile back in place. "But if they aren't a match, they're both right back here in the house and you guys have wasted another chance to get closer to that million bucks."

Beca looked around nervously, praying that the group had listened and been smart enough to vote in Donald and Lilly. She knew she and Luke had voted for them, but no one else had been around yesterday when they voted. They were the only ones at this point that had a realistic shot at being a perfect match, and they desperately needed a morale boost after the last matchup ceremony.

"Alright, it's time to see who won this vote," Gail said dramatically. "The couple that you're sending to the Truth Booth is…"

Beca closed her eyes, heart beating out of her chest with the suspense of the moment.

"Donald and Lilly!"

Relief. Pure relief flooded her veins at Gail's announcement, opening her eyes to see the couples photos plastered across the television screen.

Gail looked around at the group, seeing half smiling and half looking disappointed.

"I see a lot of mixed reactions at this result," Gail commented, still looking around at all of them. "Jesse, did you vote for DJ and Lilly?"

Jesse nodded, "Yes, I think they are a match and I think they're the most important couple to put into the Truth Booth right now. They are so convinced they're a match that if we don't send them in and they aren't, it might cost us the million bucks."

Gail hummed, "I see your point. Kommissar, you look like you disagree?"

The blonde shrugged, "I think the most likely couple from the challenge yesterday is Chicago and Chloe. We didn't know things would explode on their date today, so I voted for them. They still could be a match… we just don't know."

Gail decided not to ask anyone else to explain themselves, instead turning to Donald and Lilly sitting next to each other on the couch.

"Well, it's time to find out if you guys took advantage of this opportunity," Gail said, gesturing towards the back door. "DJ, Lilly, it's time to head to the Truth Booth."

Beca locked eyes with Donald as he walked past them to the back door, shooting him an encouraging smile. He returned it, winking before turning and leaving the room.

Gail continued her usual explanation for the rest of the group. "When DJ and Lilly see the result come up in the Truth Booth, you all will see it at the same time on the screen here," she informed them, gesturing to the screen beside her. "Good luck… and I'll see you all tomorrow at the matchup."

They said goodbye to Gail as she walked out of the room, Beca turning to smile at Luke as they got set to wait for the results to come in.

"I can't believe they convinced enough people to vote for them," Beca muttered, thankful that the room had broken out into light chatter with Gail's exit.

Luke nodded, "I know, but I'm not complaining. I have a feeling that just because one vote separated them from Chloe and Chicago doesn't mean that everyone voted for one or the other. I think they were spread out… no one really had a good feeling about who to pick."

Beca agreed with him, adding, "I could definitely see a few people voting for Aubrey and Jesse."

"I could see people voting for us," Luke glanced around, then back at her to see the disbelief on her face. "What? They might be petty enough to do it to try and split us up by proving we aren't a match."

"That'd be the worst waste of this Truth Booth opportunity ever," Beca scoffed, just the idea of it pissing her off.

Luke laughed, "Well yeah, but you want to try and convince me it couldn't happen?"

Beca shook her head, "No, and that's why we probably won't have this shit figured out by the end."

Fat Amy's voice rose above the rest, shouting out, "All this waiting is making me thirsty. Who wants a drink?!"


"Everyone back in the living room! The results are coming in five!" CR's voice sounded out through the house, having them all scrambling to be where they were supposed to be in time.

Beca abandoned her drink in the kitchen and scurried to her place behind the couch next to Luke, knowing she couldn't be holding it in the shot anyways. Everyone had reassembled to CRs satisfaction and were waiting on the edge of their seats for the results. The screen flashed and Beca held her breath, heart racing once again in anticipation.

A black box appeared across the two photos and suddenly white letters spelled out "PERFECT MATCH!"

The room erupted, with several people screaming "I TOLD YOU!" while the other half looked on in surprised disbelief and joy. Beca was one of the ones shrieking as she turned and jumped on Luke, his grin spurring her happiness on.

"Hell yeah bitches! Another perfect match!" Fat Amy yelled, raising her glass that she'd somehow sneaked in from the kitchen. "We're getting drunk tonight!"

"Guess they were right after all," Chicago admitted, a smile on his face at their second confirmed match.

The group was hugging and exchanging high fives, everyone suddenly happy about how the vote had gone. They didn't have to wait too long before DJ and Lilly came charging back through the door.

"I FUCKING TOLD YOU… YOU ASSHOLES DIDN'T BELIEVE ME!" Donald yelled, his fist raised in the air in celebration. "I knew we were a match."

The group mobbed the pair of them with hugs and more congratulations, all of them thrilled for the couple and what it meant for their chances of winning the money.

Beca squeezed her way in to give him a hug, shouting, "Congrats dude! I believed you all the way. You guys are gonna have the best time in the honeymoon suite!"

DJ grinned at her, squeezing her back and lifted her off the ground. "I know, but I'm definitely gonna miss chillin' with you, Bec! We better stay friends after this!"

"Dude, don't even worry about it," Beca promised. "Friends forever."

They were slightly pulled apart as the party got started, someone finding the speakers and blasting music through the room. It didn't take long for the entire group to start drinking and dancing and celebrating their second perfect match. Beca grinned watching Donald and Lilly get shoved into the middle of a circle, deciding to make out instead of dance while everyone around them cheered.

A tap on her shoulder had her spinning around to find herself face to face with Chloe, looking at her apologetically.

"Can we talk?"

Beca nodded, not trusting herself not to ruin this chance by opening her mouth. She followed Chloe through the kitchen and upstairs to the STD Den of all places, recognizing that the redhead didn't want to be interrupted. They walked inside and locked the door behind them, Chloe immediately moving deeper into the room before turning to look at her.

"I owe you an apology, Bec," Chloe began, her tone sincere. "I took out my frustration at Chicago… and really this entire experience out on you today and that wasn't fair of me."

Beca shook her head, countering, "No way… Chloe, you had every right to be pissed at me for not telling you about what he was doing. I wanted to, I swear… all of my reasons for keeping quiet seem so stupid now."

Chloe gave her a small smile, replying, "Bec, I get it. I wasn't crazy about Theo but I never said anything about him to you either. This whole situation is… a lot."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Beca couldn't help but stare at Chloe, allowing herself a moment or two of weakness. God she was gorgeous. All the guys in this house were morons.

"I'm not sure what I really expected from this experience, but it definitely hasn't gone the way I thought it would," Chloe admitted, looking slightly more vulnerable. "I thought I'd connect with a few people and eventually figure out my perfect match and realize why the show thought we'd be good together… maybe get a relationship out of all this insanity."

Beca stayed silent, listening to her thoughts thinking they sounded very logical.

"But nothing was how I expected it from the moment I arrived… to be honest," Chloe met her gaze, letting out a small laugh. "I guess that would have been too easy."

"Nothing about this has been easy," Beca replied easily, laughing briefly with her.

Chloe shook her head, "No, it hasn't been. I've.. I've honestly only really connected with two people since I got here."

Beca suddenly felt tension flood the room at the way Chloe was looking at her. Her heart started to beat faster in her chest as Chloe stepped forward, closing the distance between them.

"Yeah?" She asked weakly, desperately trying to get control over herself before she did something stupid.

"Yeah," Chloe confirmed, stepping closer again. "I really thought Chicago and I were clicking, but he's a total asshole and I want nothing to do with him even if he ends up being my perfect match."

Beca tripped slightly over her words as she responded, "Yeah, well… that makes sense. So… that just leaves the other person."

Chloe nodded in agreement. "You. It leaves you, Bec. I felt a connection with you the moment we met. I tried to ignore it at first because I didn't think you felt it, but… something tells me you do."

Beca's heart felt frozen in her chest from the second Chloe's first word left her lips. Chloe liked her! Chloe actually had feelings for her the way Beca had feelings… ones that were strong and real and impossible to ignore. It was all way too much to process so quickly, and Beca felt like her brain was exploding with all the different thoughts running through it.

Chloe's eyes went a little wide, taking a quick step back. "God… I'm such an idiot. Of course you don't have feelings for me, you're here for a guy and… can we please just forget every…."

Beca stepped forward and connected their lips, once again not trusting herself to fix the situation by speaking. Chloe had taken her complete and utter surprise for rejection, and she couldn't let the redhead think for one more second that Beca didn't share her feelings and then some.

Beca pulled back, taking a breath only for Chloe to kiss her again, sliding both arms around her neck to pull her closer. She'd never felt anything like this before, wondering if anyone would notice if they stayed hidden away in this room making out for the rest of the night. Chloe's lips were soft and moved with hers as if they'd been made just for her, and although Beca never wanted to stop kissing her she knew she had a few words left to say.

Slowly pulling back, Beca murmured, "I'm so into you… I didn't think you would ever feel that way about me, but God I'm so fucking glad you do."

Chloe laughed softly, resting her forehead against Beca's, admitting, "I was attracted to you the second I saw you. Getting to know how amazing of a person you are only made it worse."

Beca kissed her again at that admission. Hearing that Chloe had liked her from the first day proving too much for her to contain herself.

"Please keep doing that," Chloe muttered when the parted for air.

"Interrupting you?" Beca asked playfully, leaning in only to brush her lips against Chloe's jaw.

"If that's how you're going to do it, interrupt me whenever you want," Chloe's voice was low and teasing and it drew her in until Beca nipped at her bottom lip.

Eventually they parted and Beca took a step back, knowing that putting some distance between them was the only way they would be able to have a conversation.

"So… uh, what happens now?" Beca asked, reverting to her usual awkward self. "I just mean… it's not like we can go out there and spend the rest of the show as a couple."

Chloe looked thoughtfully at her, finally asking, "I mean, do you want to be a couple?"

Beca hesitated, realizing exactly why she'd chosen not to speak earlier. "Um, well I do, but…" she paused at the look on Chloe's face, knowing she needed to speed things up and get to the point. "I'm not out, Chlo. No one knows I'm bisexual."

Chloe's expression morphed into one of understanding. "Okay, I get that. Are you… do you think you'll tell people after the show?"

"Yeah," Beca nodded confidently. "I kinda just don't want my family to find out another way. I want to tell them."

"Will they care?" Chloe asked, now looking concerned. "They aren't homophobic or anything, are they?"

"No! No, they won't care," Beca assured her. "I just want them to hear it from me. I know the show won't air for a while, but I want to make sure I tell them and my mom is kinda in Africa for the foreseeable future." After a moment, she added, "I also don't think the show is going to be okay with us getting together."

Chloe thought about that for a moment, eventually agreeing with her. "I think you're right. We're here to find our perfect match in one of the guys, not fall for each other. I'm not crazy about the idea, but I think we'll have to keep it a secret until we're done filming."

Beca nodded, "I think so, too. But it's gonna be really hard now that I know you want to kiss me back."

Chloe smirked, stepped back into her space and kissed her again. "I definitely want to kiss you back."

"We can do this," Beca said, despite sounding very unsure of herself.

Chloe picked up on it immediately, teasing, "Are you trying to convince me or you?"

"Both… probably mainly me." Beca didn't try to hide the fact she wasn't sure how well keeping their secret would go on her end. "Don't hate me if I keep avoiding you a little. It's been hard enough keeping my feelings under control not knowing you feel the same way…"

Chloe's hands landed on her hips, gently pulling her closer until they were flush against each other. "You have no idea."

Beca countered, "I definitely have an…"

It was Chloe's turn to cut her off, lips pressing firmly against her own making her realize why Chloe didn't mind being interrupted this way.

After a minute Chloe pulled back, smirking at her. "Should we get back before they start to wonder where we are?"

Beca hummed thoughtfully, leaning in for another kiss.

"Five more minutes."


The next day getting ready for the matchup went about as well as Beca thought it would. It was next to impossible to not gravitate towards Chloe, and found the redhead looking her way just as much as she got caught staring herself. Luke even nudged her at one point, whispering for her to be careful if she didn't want the entire group and crew to find out about her problem.

Instead of trying and failing to be in the same room as Chloe, Beca escaped to one of the pool chairs next to Jesse. They chatted easily about their lives back home and their likes and dislikes, a few hours passing by without her even noticing until Stacie yelled at them to come get ready for the matchup.

Jesse continued to surprise her every time they talked, realizing they had a lot in common. Beca hadn't put a lot of thought lately into who her actual match was, but she was starting to dread it might really be Theo. The fact that she connected better with Jesse than she thought she would gave her a bit of positive thinking that Theo wasn't her only legitimate option at this point.

She pointedly ignored watching as Chloe got ready for the matchup, slipping into a dress that should be fucking illegal. It was fitted in all the right places, still classy but also showing an eyeful of cleavage… not that Beca was looking. At all.

Instead she made small talk with Stacie and Fat Amy, sidestepping any questions about who she was going to choose tonight until the blonde cornered her aggressively.

"Out with it shortstack! I wanna know if man candy Luke is up for grabs or not."

Beca rolled her eyes, replying, "I mean, I was planning on picking him. We don't have the physical chemistry, but we've clicked on every other level since day one. It's not that far of a stretch."

Kommissar shook her head. "Sorry, Beca… but you two aren't a match. You should think about picking someone else."

"I'll think about it," Beca offered, knowing that she was definitely picking Luke if he was still single when her turn came.

"I think they could be a match," Chloe chimed in, showing her support. "It's not as crazy as you and Bumper."

Kommissar nodded in agreement, "Fair point. Although I'm not sure he's my match either. I think I'm picking Uni tonight."

"Really?" Calamity asked curiously. "Why?"

"I haven't sat with him before and I have a feeling I haven't sat with my match at a matchup yet," Kommissar answered simply. "Plus, none of us think he's their match so…"

Beca muttered, "Because he hasn't bothered to try to connect closely with anyone here."

Aubrey heard her, adding, "I agree with Beca. He's treating this like one big vacation while pushing everyone else to find their match. It's annoying."

"Process of elimination," Lilly said, stunning everyone into silence. "If everyone else figures out their match, he will too."

They looked around, still a little surprised since Lilly hadn't said much for the entire time she'd been in the house.

"I mean… she's not wrong," Beca shrugged. "Are you all packed and ready to move out?"

Lilly nodded, her lips stretching into a grin. "I can't wait to be alone with DJ… there are some things I'd like to do to him that no one else can be around for."

Beca's eyes went wide, unable to help exchanging glances with Chloe who looked equally disturbed.

"And that's more than I ever wanted to know about their time in the honeymoon suite," Flo shook her head. "I'll never get those words out of my head."

Beca silently agreed, wondering if she could just go back in time a minute or two and not ask that question.

The group was finally ready, traipsing downstairs as a group to find the boys in the kitchen already holding shots. The ladies each grabbed a glass sitting on the counter top, looking around to see who would make a toast.

"To our second perfect match!" Luke called out, adding over the cheers, "And to our best matchup ceremony yet!"

Everyone shouted their approval and downed the shots, Beca wincing slightly at the taste of whiskey. They had a fully stocked bar at all times, but usually the pre-matchup ceremony shots were either tequila or vodka. The Jack Daniel's seemed a bit much for this moment.

They walked over to the stage area for the matchup, the guys getting seated while the girls waited so the crew could film them walking in. It took a couple tries as a few of them stumbled a bit when they got too close to each other. Lilly was still with them, CR having informed everyone that Gail would begin the matchup by congratulating them on their second perfect match and telling Lilly to go join Donald.

Gail was waiting for them with her usual smile, welcoming them as they walked in and got into place on the small platform.

"Hey everyone! Welcome to your sixth matchup ceremony!" Gail greeted them, her tone positive as she continued, "Let me first welcome back your first confirmed perfect match, Benji and Emily!"

The group erupted into cheers and applause, Jesse reaching over to high five Benji from his chair.

Gail had a teasing glint in her eye when she asked, "Did you guys christen your own version of the Boom Boom Room?"

Beca bit back a laugh at the name, still unable to believe people could say it with a serious face. She glanced at Emily who's face had turned bright red.

"No, Gail, we're still waiting to have sex," Benji answered, not seeming bothered by it at all despite the few sarcastic boo's thrown their way from a few of the guys.

"Are you enjoying your quiet time together?" Gail tried again, clearly hoping for a positive answer.

Emily nodded, "It's been amazing."

"Well, before we kick things off we have a little surprise for you guys," Gail began, holding up two fingers as she continued, "We have our second confirmed perfect match!"

She turned to the ladies standing on the platform and announced, "Lilly, why don't you go ahead and join your man over there!"

Lilly grinned and walked over to sit with Donald, while Benji and Emily beamed at the group and cheered along with them.

"Nice job, guys!" Benji called out, looking around at the group. "We knew you guys could do it."

Gail laughed, reminding him, "They aren't quite done yet. You guys still have eight more matches to find." Directing her next question at Donald and Lilly, she asked, "You two see how happy these guys are… are you excited to get to the honeymoon suite?"

Donald grinned and said, "Let's just say we aren't afraid to christen every room of our suite."

That answer was exactly what Gail was looking for, met with cheers and howls from the rest of the group.

"I guess that answers that," she laughed with a nod of approval. "We'll all be excited to check in with you guys next week and see how it's going. In the meantime, right now it's time for another matchup and another shot at one million dollars."

They automatically clapped and cheered at the mention of the money, Bumper repeating the phrase the way Gail always said it drawing a few laughs.

"Now if you guys all choose your match correctly, you're gonna leave here rich in love and money… but, if just one of you gets it wrong then you're not ten for ten and it's back to the house to start again."

Gail let that sink in for a moment, before adding, "And if you fail to get any new matches, that's a blackout and your prize will instantly drop by two hundred and fifty thousand dollars."

The mumbles and groans sounded out at that, Beca knowing that none of them wanted to blackout. The idle chatter that had flowed while the ladies were getting ready had her encouraged though, believing that their chances of blacking out tonight were pretty slim.

"Tonight, it's the ladies turn to choose," Gail instructed, turning her body to fully face the women. "When I call your name, step on up here and choose your perfect match. You two will then place your palms on the handprint touchpad, locking you in as a couple."

CR walked purposefully out into the set, bringing the proceedings to a screeching halt.

"Sorry guys, we're having some technical difficulties. Gail, we're gonna have to shoot the entire opening sequence again."

This time the groans were real, Beca sighing as CR directed them to start over with walking into the stage. It wasn't a good sign if they were having technical issues this early on in the shoot. They made it halfway through the introduction this time before CR cut it off again, but at least they could pick up where they left off and didn't have to redo everything.

It took over two hours before Gail announced the first name, making Beca wonder if they would finish on time. It hadn't happened yet, but she was sure that it must have happened at least once with how many seasons of the show existed.

"First up for the ladies tonight… is Kommissar!"

Beca watched the blonde stride confidently up to the podium, wondering what it must take to feel that comfortable anywhere.

"How are you going tonight?" Gail asked, starting her off with a softball question.

"I'm great, Gail," Kommissar gave her a wide smile.

Gail played along, "Glad to hear it! How has your week in the house been?"

"It's been good. We got another confirmed match and I think we're all riding that high into the matchup tonight."

"Who can blame you?" Gail quipped, continuing, "Kommissar, who is your perfect match?"

Kommissar turned to face the guys, announcing, "My perfect match is Uni."

Beca almost busted out laughing at the surprised look on the man's face as he got up and joined Kommissar at the podium.

"Uni, you look a little shocked to be standing up here," Gail teased him, the stunned look taking longer to wear off than he must have anticipated.

Breaking into an easy smile, he nodded, "Yeah, I mean… I didn't even realize Kommissar liked me at all, so…"

Kommissar shook her head, "I don't."

Gail pounced on that opportunity, asking, "Then why did you choose him?"

"I don't think he has done a good job of trying to find his match so far, and I also don't think I've found mine yet either," Kommissar explained. "So maybe we're a match."

"Alright then," Gail seemed at a loss for words, something that didn't happen often to the seasoned host. "Kommissar, Unicycle, it's time to lock in as a couple."

Beca watched as they placed their hands on the touchpad and locked in, walking awkwardly together back to the empty chair. She turned her attention back to Gail, hoping her turn was next.

"Next up is Flo!"

Flo looked pleasantly surprised to be called so early, having gone closer to the end in most of the matchups. Beca shifted slightly, glancing around as Flo slowly walked to the podium.

"Hi Flo! You looked happy to be called so early," Gail observed.

Flo nodded, "Yes, usually I only have a few of the guys still left to choose from. It's nice to have a wider selection."

Gail grinned, "Are you going to shake things up a little tonight since you have your pick of these gentlemen?"

"Maybe," Flo teased. "I don't think people will expect this."

"It's time to find out," Gail kept the conversation going. "Flo, who is your perfect match?"

"My perfect match is Bumper."

Beca's jaw dropped at that, unable to help herself. Of all the random pairings they'd seen in the challenges and Truth Booth's and matchups, this one had to take the cake. This was weirder to her than when Flo paired up with Theo or the first time Bumper had called Kommissar's name or last time when Donald didn't pick Lilly. The lack of a reaction was telling, most people stunned into silence the way Beca had been.

Bumper seemed delighted at being chosen, sauntering up to the podium to stand beside Flo.

"Bumper, you don't look as surprised as everyone else," Gail commented with a laugh.

"Oh I am, but I'm also digging it," Bumper answered, smiling at Flo. "Flo is great and obviously gorgeous… I'm honored to stand up here with her tonight."

Gail turned to Flo, asking, "Why did you pick Bumper?"

Flo didn't hesitate, answering, "Bumper and I had a really nice conversation a few weeks ago when the drama went down on our date excursion with Tom and Stacie, and we've followed it up with little chats here and there. He's loud and outgoing but there's also a really sensitive side in there that I love. There's more to him than meets the eye."

Bumper didn't seem as thrilled about Flo outing him as a sensitive soul, but his smile remained in place as the group responded with aww's and clapping and catcalls from a few of the guys.

"I'm glad you two have clicked a little bit," Gail responded, looking between the pair of them. "Flo, Bumper, please lock in.

Beca was desperate for a break to pull Chloe aside and gossip like crazy about how this matchup was turning out. Or maybe Luke, since she wasn't sure she trusted herself to keep her hands to herself with the way Chloe looked in that dress. Yeah, Luke was a safer choice.

"Alright ladies, next up is Fat Amy!" Gail announced, looking over at them on the platform.

Beca felt her stomach drop a little as the blonde sauntered up to the podium and immediately began chatting with Gail. She knew she'd told Fat Amy that she planned on picking Luke tonight, but she also knew that the woman did whatever the hell she wanted and that most other people in the house didn't believe she and Luke were a match. It didn't bother her considering neither she nor Luke believed they were a perfect match either, but Beca was kind of hoping to get one more matchup ceremony out of the way sitting beside her best friend.

"Entertaining as always," Gail concluded, shaking her head at the blonde. "Fat Amy, who is your perfect match?"

She spun around, locking onto one of the guys saying, "My perfect match is Chicago."

Beca grinned at the slight disappointment on Luke's face, followed by an immediate brightening at the slow way Chicago rose to his feet. She realized that he was dreading sitting next to the boisterous blonde for the rest of the evening, finding a small bit of satisfaction at his discomfort. Beca wasn't usually the type of person to be happy about someone else's suffering, but this wouldn't kill him and she felt he more than deserved it after the way he'd treated Chloe.

"Chicago, do you think you and Amy are a match?" Gail asked, allowing him the chance to speak.

"Well… no, I don't," Chicago admitted, thinking hard over his words. "But at this point I'm not sure who my match is, so I can't complain."

Gail glanced over at Chloe, asking, "Chloe, how do you feel about Amy picking Chicago?"

Chloe shrugged, replying, "He's all hers."

Fat Amy smirked, "Yeah, man candy. You're all mine tonight."

Chicago sighed and shook his head, a resigned smile on his face. "Awesome."

Gail smiled at the couple, letting him off the hook. "Okay, Fat Amy, Chicago, it's time to lock in as a couple."

Once they returned to the chair and were seated side by side, CR called for a short break.

"Okay, we're obviously running way behind on time, so let's make this one quick! The three couples head out to the left and film your reactions. Let me get Beca and Zeke over here to film as well!"

Beca met Luke's eyes, immediately feeling his disappointment that they wouldn't be able to discuss the insanity that just happened during the matchup. Sighing, she fell into step with Zeke as they followed CR off the set to react to the first three couples.


"This seriously couldn't get any worse," Stacie muttered, shifting slightly in her heels.

Beca completely agreed with her. They were thirty minutes into another technical delay that was preventing them from resuming filming. It had been one thing after another all night and everyone was on their last nerve. CR had already snapped hers in half, her frustration with the issues evident in the sharpness of her tone and even shorter temper than usual.

"If I had known I was going to be standing for six hours I would not have worn heels," Aubrey complained under her breath, careful not to let the executive producer hear her.

"Preach, girl," Chloe sighed, Beca catching onto the discomfort in her tone.

Thankfully she'd chosen flats to go with her dress, getting away with the sandals since it was a floral maxi dress and more casual. She knew the ladies in heels were deeply regretting their decision by now.

Another ten minutes went by before CR finally shouted, "Okay, we're good to go!"

She strode to the middle of the set, calling for quiet. "Okay, people! Obviously tonight has turned into a shit show. We're impossibly behind and if we're gonna get this done tonight we have to shoot straight through. Let's postpone all reaction footage until the end of the shoot if it's still dark, or we'll get a few done tomorrow night if we're bumping against sunrise. Crews, rotate as needed to make sure everything is covered."

Beca bit her lip to keep any sounds of disappointment from escaping. No one was going to be happy about this announcement, especially the crew who Beca knew depended on that longer break in the middle of this shoot. However, she also knew that they had no choice if they wanted to finish the matchup ceremony without having to shoot tomorrow.

"Alright, Gail! We're gonna have a rough edit on this one, but cut the small talk and get the money shots. On my cue!"

Beca snapped to attention in case her name was called, eyes steady on the blonde host standing back in place behind the podium. At least she most likely avoided getting grilled about her lack of a romantic relationship with Luke.

"Next up for the ladies is… Aubrey!"

Aubrey walked steadily up to the podium, greeting Gail who immediately got straight down to business.

"Aubrey, who is your perfect match?"

"Tonight, my perfect match is Jesse," Aubrey answered confidently, smiling at Jesse as he walked up to stand beside her.

"You two seem to be getting along really well," Gail observed, gesturing towards the touchpad. "Aubrey, Jesse, it's time to lock in."

Jesse grinned. "We're getting along great, Gail," he said as they placed their hands on the touchpad and locked in.

If Beca had wondered what a matchup ceremony looked like if you pressed the fast forward button, she no longer needed to speculate. Gail was a woman on a mission as she wasted no time in calling the next name the second Aubrey and Jesse were seated comfortably in the chair.

"Chloe!"

Chloe shot Beca a nervous glance before squaring her shoulders and walking up to the podium. Beca's eyes drifted down lower than she planned, the dress doing Chloe's legs and ass so many favors it was impossible to decide where to look. Stacie's impatient huff beside her knocked her back into the moment, flushing slightly realizing anyone could have caught her staring.

"Chloe, who is your perfect match tonight?" Gail asked, her easy smile locked in place.

Chloe half turned around and said, "My perfect match is Tom."

Tom seemed fine with that, striding up to join Chloe at the podium. Beca eyed them, suddenly not feeling as happy as she was a moment ago.

"Chloe, why did you pick Tom tonight?" Gail asked curiously. Beca wondered why the extra question, realizing that CR or some other producer must be talking into her earpiece with instructions.

Chloe glanced at Tom, answering, "Well, even though it was unintentional, Tom was the one who helped me realize that Chicago and I were not compatible. He was really caring and thoughtful after that happened, and I think I need someone like that."

Tom smiled at her, wrapping his arm safely around her shoulders. "Chloe is incredible… she deserves a lot more than what happened on that date yesterday."

Beca's heart swooped a little at the sight of them standing so close together, her insecurities flooding to the front of her mind. Sure it was irrational, but it was hard to stay realistic when the girl you like is cuddling into the handsome boy next door. It was Stacie again that drew her out of her thoughts.

"If I didn't know Tommy so well I might be jealous of that," Stacie murmured under her breath.

Beca glanced at her to see the brunette looking the exact opposite of jealous.

"He told me all about what happened… I'm glad he was there for Chloe and not another one of these assholes who would just take advantage of her," Stacie finished, her eyes flashing quickly to Beca's. "I'm glad you were there too, Bec. She needed friends in that moment."

Beca simply nodded, unsure of exactly how much Stacie knew about what happened and most certainly did not want to be the one to share extra information.

"Chloe, Tom, please lock in as a couple," Gail instructed, watching them place their hands side-by-side on the touchpad.

Beca started to panic a little when Stacie's name was called next, knowing that only Zeke, Luke, and Theo remained. She had zero doubts that Calamity would choose whichever guy would leave her and Theo together if she went next, praying desperately not to be last tonight.

She blocked out all of Stacie's interactions with Gail, tuning back in just in time to see her lock in with Zeke. Beca's heart was pounding again, glancing briefly at Calamity who didn't seem nervous about the situation at all. It wasn't the same though, Beca knowing that the woman was fine still hooking up with Chicago even though they weren't a match and didn't really care anymore who her perfect match was. Still, Beca didn't want to sit next to Theo if she could help it.

"Next up is Beca!"

Thank fucking God. The thought ran through her head over and over as she walked up to the podium, smiling as Gail greeted her.

"Hey, Gail," she said back once she reached her spot.

"Beca, it's down to the only two guys you've sat with at matchups," Gail observed. "Do you know who you're going to pick tonight?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I do."

"Okay then," Gail met her gaze. "Beca, who is your perfect match?"

Beca didn't hesitate, answering, "My perfect match is Luke."

There were a few disappointed murmurs throughout the group as Luke rose and joined her at the podium.

"Luke, a few people didn't sound too happy with this pairing tonight. What do you think of that?" Gail asked, knowing they needed at least a little bit of conversational footage.

Luke shrugged, "I think that it's still possible for Beca and I to be a perfect match. A lot of people don't think so, but we're still trying to figure this thing out. We took a great step this week with our second perfect match, so maybe that'll help us moving forward."

Gail nodded, "That's a great way to look at it. Beca, Luke, go ahead and lock in."

Beca exchanged glances with Luke as they both placed their palms onto the touchpad, the green bar scanning up and down before the matching boxes appeared declaring them "LOCKED!"

Luke had his arm around her as they walked back to his empty chair, Beca letting her eyes drift towards Chloe to find her smiling happily in her direction. She was glad to see that Chloe was now having no trouble believing that she and Luke were strictly friends.

Calamity and Theo were the default couple tonight, and Gail let them off the hook without too much trouble since sunrise was fast approaching. They quickly locked in and returned to the seats, finalizing the matchup for that evening.

"Alright guys, you're all matched up!" Gail announced, the group clapping and cheering in response.

"So the matchup will tell you how many couples are correct, but not who those matches are," Gail said smoothly, falling into her comfort zone with the repetitiveness of this part of the speech. "That's for you to figure out."

"Now, behind me are ten beams of light."

Beca closed her eyes briefly as the lights turned on to shine directly at them before shifting to shoot straight up into the sky. It's true it was repetitive, but Beca also felt a comfort with knowing exactly what to expect from this part of the shoot. There were enough variables going around most of the time that it was nice to know there wouldn't be anymore surprises.

"Each beam represents a perfect match. One beam is one perfect match, and ten beams means ten perfect matches… and one million dollars," Gail finished with a smile.

The group clapped and cheered, creating the excitement necessary for a drop back to Earth at the mention of blacking out.

"However, if you all fail to get any new matches… that's a blackout, and your prize will instantly drop by two hundred and fifty thousand dollars."

Beca felt a little dread at the mention of losing some of the money, whispering to Luke, "You'd think knowing exactly what she's going to say by this point would make it not affect me, but I still get anxious and nervous every time."

Luke nodded, "Crazy, huh?"

"Insane… it makes me feel insane."

Gail hesitated for one moment as the beams went dark.

"Tonight, you begin with two beams already lit," Gail informed them, her smile stretching a little wider as two beams lit up behind her. "These beam represent your confirmed perfect matches… Benji and Emily, and Donald and Lilly." She paused to let them cheer for their successes in the Truth Booth, before finishing, "Eight more beams and you guys win a million bucks. Here we go!"

The excitement started to build as Gail circled the podium and placed both her hands on the touchpad, making them all start to wonder if maybe they got it right. Beca knew the odds were not good, even with two perfect matches, but she was definitely hoping they had at least four to match their best total yet. They needed to keep the positive momentum going.

"The number of perfect matches is…" Gail trailed off as the lights changed and the anticipation grew.

Beca inched forward to the edge of her seat as a third beam flashed up into the sky, prompting shouts and cheers from the group.

"Hell yeah! No fucking blackouts for us!" Zeke shouted, reaching over to give Chicago a high five.

Calamity grinned, saying, "Keep going! We want more."

Luke's arm tightened around her shoulders a bit just before a fourth beam lit up the night sky.

"Four!"

"Fuck yes!"

"Let it ride, baby!"

Beca held her breath as they waited for another beam to light up, already feeling like they won tonight. They'd matched their highest total yet, and this time they had two perfect matches to show for it.

After a few long seconds the lights came back on and they heard the sound that meant the matchup was over.

"Alright, four beams you guys!" Gail said, turning around to face them. "That matches your highest total at a matchup yet. How are we feeling about that?"

"Gail, I think we're on the right track," Donald answered. "We've got two perfect matches now, and I have complete faith that these guys are gonna figure it out."

"Yeah, Gail, we got this!"

Beca grinned at Luke. "This actually went really well."

"I'm as shocked as you are," he answered honestly. "You think Flo and Bumper are a match?"

"No, but I also never thought that…" Beca trailed off, catching herself just in time before she said something really stupid. "Never mind."

Luke raised an eyebrow at her, "What?"

"Nothing. Forget it… I don't know what I was gonna say anyways."

"That's bullshit," Luke eyed her, lips curling up into a grin. "What are you hiding from me? No secrets between perfect matches!"

Beca rolled her eyes as the cheers and shouts died down. "We aren't a perfect match."

"Maybe not, but you are my best friend here and that counts for more than a perfect match," Luke argued, just in time for Gail to regain control and dismiss them.

"Alright you guys, great job tonight. You got four perfect matches. Unfortunately, that means you still have six left to figure out with only four matchups left. Say goodbye to Donald and Lilly… you'll see them at the next matchup… and head back to the house. You still have some work to do."

They all stood up and hugged DJ and Lilly, wishing them a ton of fun in the honeymoon suite. Beca gave Lilly a quick side hug, refraining from repeating her earlier mistake in bringing up anything about the honeymoon suite, and was soon walking back to the house when Chloe caught up with her.

"That was… something," Chloe mused, grabbing Beca's arm with both of hers.

Beca grinned, agreeing, "Yeah, some of those pairings were crazy."

"I was gonna take my heels off if we had one more delay. My feet are absolutely killing me right now," Chloe sighed, looking at her hopefully. "You think you can convince Luke to give me a foot rub?"

Beca laughed, glancing back to where Luke was still chatting with Donald. "I don't know… he might need comforting after DJ abandons him. I don't have that much power over him either."

Chloe scoffed, "Whatever. He was going around telling people you guys were a couple. I think a foot rub would be a piece of cake."

"Yeah, well he did that for me because I was moping about having feelings for someone I couldn't have," Beca whispered sneakily into Chloe's ear. "I don't think I'm mopey enough to maintain that level of sympathy anymore."

Chloe hummed playfully, feigning ignorance, "Hmm why do you think that is?"

Beca smiled, happiness bursting in her chest with her next words.

"Because… turns out she likes me back."


A/N: Thank you so much to Arsto for finding time in her crazy life to continue helping me with this story! You're a superhero!

Hope you guys enjoyed reading this one as much as I enjoyed writing it! (A LOT)